The present invention relates to a net blanket for horses as an easy-to-handle holding harness for the flexible and easily replaceable fastening of a urine collecting device to horses. The net blanket according to the invention as a holding harness is in this case intended in particular for flexibly suspending urine collecting devices for obtaining a natural mixture of conjugated estrogens from pregnant mares' urine.
Estrogens are used in medicine for hormone replacement therapy. In particular, estrogen mixtures are used for the treatment and prophylaxis of the disorders of the climacteric period which occur in women after natural or artificial menopause. In this case, natural mixtures of conjugated estrogens (CO) such as are found in the urine of pregnant mares (PMU=pregnant mares' urine) have proved particularly effective and readily compatible.
The collection of the urine is therefore a significant partial step in obtaining hormones, and requires suitable devices which permit the urine to be collected in a practicable manner which is compatible with the animal. Such devices are usually composed of a holding harness and a urine collecting device. In particular, the entire device should be easy to wear and be compatible with the normal behaviour and requirements of mobility and rest of the horse. Furthermore, the device should however also permit flexible (easy attachment and removal or replacement of the collecting device) collection of the urine which is effected as purely as possible (no faecal contamination) and in a manner protecting the hormones.
The holding harness to which the urine collecting device is fastened should be able to be adapted easily to the individual dimensions of the horse and fix the urine collecting device adequately in the desired position on the horse. Once the urine collecting device has been attached, if at all possible no readjustment, or only infrequent to occasional readjustment, should be necessary, and—while also allowing the horse as great a freedom of movement as possible—urine collection which is as loss-free as possible should be ensured.
A holding harness of this type with urine collecting device has already been described in published US patent application no. US 2002/0134319 A1 (=WO 00/72667). Furthermore, international patent application no. WO 02/45488 (=U.S. Ser. No. 10/453,888) describes a holding harness with a urine collecting device wherein in particular the urine collecting device can be handled comfortably and be kept hygienically clean due to a detachable head part. The holding harness itself should furthermore hamper the horses as little as possible, be easy to handle and easy to care for and in particular permit flexible fastening of the urine collecting device which can be adapted quickly to the dimensions of the individual horse.